5 ms·

"girl" is used in place of "guy" because "guy" has a masculine connotation. I'd be happy to see "gal" but it's a little anachronistic.

MartinCron 13y ago
What? Calling grown women "girls" is even more anachronistic. Seriously, the one-word pronoun "She" would have worked much better in the original sentence.
ceejayoz 13y ago
Girl has an "immature, not yet an adult" connotation. "Guy" wasn't the only option here. It could easily have read "This woman not only became a competent front end developer..."
jenniferDewalt 13y ago
Gal is fine, if a little forced. Person would probably be best here though.
- reledi 13y ago
  Hey Jennifer, Well done on your journey, very impressive! It's an inspiration for many of us. You replied about the use of "girl" (and I agree, "person" would be best here), but why not reply to petea's original comment where he criticizes you? Every time your blog makes it to front page on HN, I notice you're active in the comment thread but you don't reply to the criticism. Why not? It would quickly put an end to these type of comments. I think ignoring the criticism does more harm than the truth about whether or not you received help from others or you started the challenge with some basic knowledge.
  - breadbox 13y ago
    What does she possibly have to gain by responding to such crticism? Regardless of the situation, her best move is to ignore it and move on with her life.
    - reledi 13y ago
      Alternatively, what does she have to lose by responding to the criticism and then moving on with her life? While her accomplishment is very inspirational, it can also act as a disincentive to many who feel discouraged or stupid after having failed on much simpler beginner tasks. This can change depending on her answer to the criticism. BTW this project is now a significant part of her life. It got a lot of attention and most people will know her because of the accomplishment. It'll be difficult to quickly move on from it - I'm sure the project will pop up in conversation with her, years from now, along with the same questions. Whether she responds to the criticism or not, it's been exciting seeing her make progress and complete her goal. I wish her all the best.
  - ceejayoz 13y ago
    > You don't reply to the criticism. Why not? It would quickly put an end to these type of comments. Well, that's a novel theory on Internet commenting.
    - reledi 13y ago
      Thanks for the input, but not all online communities are the same. HN doesn't have the greatest community, but it's better than most. The question keeps appearing every time Jennifer's story makes the front page. If it was answered, the answer can be easily linked to any time the question pops up in the future.
droidist2 13y ago
That's what I was thinking too, the female equivalent of guy is gal. I've seen other people suggest "person" but that sounds stiff. I say we just use "individual" or "particular individual."

MartinCron 13y ago

What? Calling grown women "girls" is even more anachronistic. Seriously, the one-word pronoun "She" would have worked much better in the original sentence.

ceejayoz 13y ago

Girl has an "immature, not yet an adult" connotation. "Guy" wasn't the only option here. It could easily have read "This woman not only became a competent front end developer..."

jenniferDewalt 13y ago

Gal is fine, if a little forced. Person would probably be best here though.

reledi 13y ago
Hey Jennifer, Well done on your journey, very impressive! It's an inspiration for many of us. You replied about the use of "girl" (and I agree, "person" would be best here), but why not reply to petea's original comment where he criticizes you? Every time your blog makes it to front page on HN, I notice you're active in the comment thread but you don't reply to the criticism. Why not? It would quickly put an end to these type of comments. I think ignoring the criticism does more harm than the truth about whether or not you received help from others or you started the challenge with some basic knowledge.
- breadbox 13y ago
  What does she possibly have to gain by responding to such crticism? Regardless of the situation, her best move is to ignore it and move on with her life.
  - reledi 13y ago
    Alternatively, what does she have to lose by responding to the criticism and then moving on with her life? While her accomplishment is very inspirational, it can also act as a disincentive to many who feel discouraged or stupid after having failed on much simpler beginner tasks. This can change depending on her answer to the criticism. BTW this project is now a significant part of her life. It got a lot of attention and most people will know her because of the accomplishment. It'll be difficult to quickly move on from it - I'm sure the project will pop up in conversation with her, years from now, along with the same questions. Whether she responds to the criticism or not, it's been exciting seeing her make progress and complete her goal. I wish her all the best.
- ceejayoz 13y ago
  > You don't reply to the criticism. Why not? It would quickly put an end to these type of comments. Well, that's a novel theory on Internet commenting.
  - reledi 13y ago
    Thanks for the input, but not all online communities are the same. HN doesn't have the greatest community, but it's better than most. The question keeps appearing every time Jennifer's story makes the front page. If it was answered, the answer can be easily linked to any time the question pops up in the future.

droidist2 13y ago

That's what I was thinking too, the female equivalent of guy is gal. I've seen other people suggest "person" but that sounds stiff. I say we just use "individual" or "particular individual."